The Kansas City Royals didn’t enter the season with high expectations as they had an over/under win total of 68.5, however, the Royals will fail to even meet those expectations as they have the 2^nd worst record in the American League with an overall record of 41-89 and have been eliminated from the playoffs as they are over 30 games back of the Astros for the final Wild Card spot in the AL. The Royals lost five of their last six games and have compiled a record of 9-14 which includes Friday’s 5-7 loss against the Seattle Mariners on the road in game one of the series. Kyle Isbel accounted for two of the runs when he hit a two-run home run in the 7^th inning which also scored Matt Beaty.

Seattle has been one of the hottest teams in the American League in August compiling a record of 17-5 and have won nine of their last ten games including a 7-5 win at home against the Kansas City Chiefs in game one of the series on Friday.  Two of the runs came in the 1^st inning which included a one-run home run hit by J.P. Crawford. The Mariners currently sit in the 2^nd spot in the Wild Card race with an overall record of 72-56 and have a two-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card race.

BookMaker has the Seattle Mariners listed as -260 money line favorites at home against the Kansas City Royals in game two of the series on Saturday afternoon. Seattle has dominated the series, winning seven of the last ten including the previous four matchups in a row, and have won by an average margin of .9 runs per game over the last ten and 1.67 runs per game over the last three games in the series.

Seattle has the advantage at pitcher for game two of the series as the Mariners will be sending Logan Gilbert to the mound while the Royals will send Jordan Lyles to the mound on Saturday. Gilbert is 11-5 this season with a 3.77 ERA while recording 146 strikeouts while Lyles has a record of 3-14 on the year with an ERA of 6.20 and has recorded 93 strikeouts.

In his last three starts against Seattle, Jordan Lyles is 1-0 with two no-decisions while allowing a total of 12 runs and recording 12 strikeouts with the last start having occurred earlier this month in which Lyles allowed six runs and struck out three in the loss.

Logan Gilbert is 1-0 in his three matchups against the Royals while allowing a total of 10 runs and striking out 13 while recording a no-decision in his last start against the Royals while allowing four runs and striking out five batters.

Seattle has been the superior team this season and in the series, winning seven of the last ten including the previous four games in a row, however, the Mariners have only won by an average margin of .9 runs per game over the last ten and 1.67 runs per game over the last three games in the series. As a result, I am taking the run line for the Seattle Mariners at -1.5 on BookMaker for this matchup on Saturday afternoon.